You dont need it, its a useful attribute if coupled with other relevant attributes. If it was all down to pace, Magloire would be a shoe in and Ayala will never get a game.

Didnt play.

Great news. Lets hope from next month he is back in the team and back being our best player.

Not one for cherry picking individual team selections to compensate for certain players in terms of picking inferior players as a result. Ayala is a defender that has been around the block and indeed Williams is hardly fast. Wharton is fourth choice centre back having played plenty of games in senior football compared to Magloire who looked incapable of winning a header when he last played for the first team. I know a few got a bit giddy after a friendly in which he did ok in but he is behind Wharton in the queue and should Lenihan and Williams not make it, which is very hypothetical at the moment, then it has to be Ayala and Wharton. I also hope that he doesnt piss around in that eventuality and put Nyambe at CB and Rankin Costello at RB, putting 2 players out of position in one move. Keep it simple, if 2 of the first CB's are out, pick the 4th choice, it isnt rocket science. If you are unwilling to do that, then you may aswell move Wharton on at this stage.

Is the picture quality that much worse? The time delay simply means avoiding your phone for an hour an a half. So is it the emotional blow of seeing an empty Ewood that you cant attend? That would surely mean no highlights etc either. The reason why I find it illogical is because you are embracing and even defending the extortionate pricing of neutral games on Sky, watching them ad nauseum, yet slightly inferior production values and watching your own team is suddenly a no go.

It would be at odds to what most managers would do for their first game managing a side that has lost all 4 of its first games, especially an experienced one without the distraction of a demanding crowd. As you say, lets hope they are playing with wreckless abandonment though, it might suit us. Although we will need to get over that weakness either way to make the top 6.

Is it out of principle? What does "poor coverage" exactly mean, the picture quality, the commentary? Surely the fact that you are watching your own team overrides all of that? When I stream Sky Sports I have a slight time delay and its not ideal but I would not just avoid watching it altogether, I would just avoid checking my phone during the game to avoid spoilers. Logic and yourself rarely walk hand in hand but I cant fathom why watching your own team with perhaps slightly inferior production values is a total no go, yet watching random teams as a neutral with Martin Tyler doing the commentary is a different story.

Its a hell of an ask to expect a top CB and a top CM to suddenly emerge of that standard! There is plenty of scope for excitement with the current crop of players especially at the front end but there are also a couple of glaring weaknesses and also I am not convinced by the shape in which the manager is moving towards. I think that there may be a realisation that none of the centre backs are particularly good, but playing a third to compensate means that you have to select one more in the first place. Maguire's struggles are well documented, I think Gomez has talent but is so lucky to have Van Dijk next to him at club level and the rest are equally flawed. Our central midfield options by comparison are much healthier, purely down to Henderson who people vastly underrate in spite of captaining and being critical to that Liverpol side. Foden I cant see where he plays in the current formation, in a 4-3-3 he can be the third man in there along with Henderson and perhaps Winks. We also have a ticking time bomb in net as long as small arms Pickford remains there.

Trying to win a game doesnt have to involve playing a high pressing game and "going for it," and inheriting a team on the back of 4 losses, I suspect that Hughton quite sensibly will not be too gung ho and "expansive" with his style, he is certainly too wily to do so purely to try and satisfy the whims of a fan base that wont even be there!

International football is all about summer tournaments. All of the mid season breaks including nations league games are purely an ends to a means, a boring and unwelcome break to domestic football. Fair play to England, a good result, still dont think quite a few bits of the team including the formation are correct going forward but aided by a very lucky deflection its a impressive result.

I hope not. The nations league is moderately more important than friendlies but it does not have the same importance and feel compared to Euros which are concentrated within a summer. Does anyone overly care about the Nations League?

That team has a much better shape to it. Henderson has to play, theres a reason he captains the Premier League champions. Id have Foden in there too, big talent. Replace the clown in net with Pope. Chilwell a necessary evil due to a lack of options at left back. Centre back is a big worry, we dont have any good ones. Would also go Sancho over Rashford.

We should get Lingard back on whilst we are at it.

Where does he fit into this formation? He doesnt.

So pedestrian. Not one player in the team who can pick a penetrative pass. Side to side and back again.

I think Saka is fit, just one of quite a few not to make the bench. The whole balance of this team is totally wrong. We were building momentum with a 433 and hes reverted back to this stupid formation, square pegs in round holes, 3 centre backs and 2 holding midfielders shite.

Regarding Dier, there is your answer. Dismal defending. Just not a particularly good player.

Bizarre team named by Southgate again today, both in terms of personnel and balance. The useless Pickford back in, 3 right footed centre backs, one being a natural right back, one a converted poor midfielder in Dier and of course the cumbersome Maguire. A right footed left wing back in Trippier. Rice in central midfield ensuring no creativity from there. Teachers pet Mount selected over Grealish and Sancho.

What did he say that was "disparaging Jack."

Poor Barrow!

Well done chaddy. It shouldnt need people to email but fair play for doing so ?

I find it strange that anyone's natural reaction to see pictures of Ewood Park and its surroundings in a state is to leap to the owners defence.

Dont think that theres any chance of Williams. Southampton tried and failed for him I read on deadline day.

Last season, Mowbray publically questioned Johnsons fitness at one point coupled with his daily commute from Derby. He seems to be in better shape this season.

Yep, i think that merely signing a couple of players from Europe, whilst exciting to an extent, shouldnt automatically render the network a success. Ultimately it depends on how these players do.